Disposable diaper with refastenable mechanical fastening system

Abstract

A disposable absorbent garment includes a moisture impervious outer layer, a nonwoven moisture pervious inner layer, an absorbent layer sandwiched and encased between the inner and outer layers, with the sandwiched layers having opposed first and second waist edges and two opposed side margins. The garment further includes a fastener or closure system comprising a pair of gripping strips or extensions from each of the side margins along the second waist edge, each gripping strip having a plurality of first resiliently deformable connectors integrally formed therein. The fastener system further includes a pair of targets located on the outer layer along the first waist edge adjacent each side margin, each target having a plurality of second connectors integrally formed thereon which are adapted to engage the first connectors of the gripping strips. The first and second connectors comprise interlocking means of the fastener system and include a plurality of interlockable projections and receptacles. The projections and receptacles may be circular or of any polygonal shape or they may comprise interlocking ridges and grooves. In one embodiment, each of the first connectors is a receptacle comprising a throat which extends through the gripping strip, and each of the second connectors comprise a projection which projects through and interlocks with a gripping strip throat.

We claim: 
     
       1. A disposable absorbent garment comprising: an outer layer of a liquid impervious material;   a nonwoven liquid pervious inner layer;   an absorbent layer sandwiched and encased between the inner and outer layers, the sandwiched layers having opposed front and back laterally extending waist edges with a crotch region therebetween, and two opposed side margins extending generally in an axial direction between the front and back waist edges, the front and back waist edges for extending along the respective front and back waist portions of a wearer;   resiliently deformable gripping connectors extending from each of the side margins along the back waist edge; and   target connectors located along the front waist edge of the outer layer, the target connectors integrally formed within the liquid impervious material of the outer layer and adapted to engage the gripping connectors, said target connectors projecting outwardly from the outer layer and adapted each to receive at least one of said gripping connectors by pressing the gripping connectors substantially perpendicularly toward the outer layer adjacent said front waist edge to interengage the gripping and target connectors, said gripping and target connectors being sized such that upon interengagement, at least one of said gripping and target connectors are deformed and said gripping and target connectors resiliently grip one another to maintain interconnection;   wherein each of the gripping connectors comprises a throat having a first cross-sectional dimension; and   wherein each of the target connectors comprises a projection having a second cross-sectional dimension, the second cross-sectional dimension being slightly larger than said first cross-sectional dimension, the target and gripping connectors being alignable such that the first and second cross-sectional dimensions substantially coincide upon interengagement of the gripping and target connectors, whereby upon interconnection of a gripping connector with a target connector, said throat deforms by expansion of the first cross-sectional dimension to admit the target connector, and thereafter the gripping connector throat contracts resiliently to grip the admitted target connector and secure the interconnection.   
     
     
       2. A disposable absorbent garment according to claim 1 wherein the throat of each of the first connectors of the gripping means has a substantially circular cross section, and wherein the projection of each of the second connectors of the target means also has a substantially circular cross section. 
     
     
       3. A disposable absorbent garment according to claim 1 wherein the gripping means is a strip of a first thickness and the throat of each of the first connectors extends through the gripping means strip; and wherein the projection of each of the second connectors has a distal end portion and a middle portion spaced inwardly from the distal end portion, the distal end portion having said second cross-sectional dimension and the middle portion having a cross-sectional dimension substantially equal to said first cross-sectional dimension, the length of the middle portion being substantially equal to said first thickness whereby when said target means and gripping means are coupled together said distal end portion of the target means is positioned beyond the throat of the gripping means releasably to secure the garment upon the wearer.   
     
     
       4. A disposable absorbent garment according to claim 3 wherein the first connectors are arranged in at least two rows, with each row parallel to the second waist edge, the first connector rows spaced a first distance apart, the first connectors within each row spaced a second distance apart; and wherein the second connectors are arranged in at least two rows, with each row substantially parallel to the first waist edge, the second connector rows being spaced said first distance apart, the second connectors within each row being spaced said second distance apart, whereby the first and second connectors of the gripping means and target means are easily aligned for interconnection.   
     
     
       5. A disposable absorbent garment according to claim 1 wherein the gripping connectors are bonded to the garment along the second waist edge. 
     
     
       6. A disposable garment according to claim 1, wherein: each gripping connector comprises a groove; and   each target connector projection comprises a ridge.